Valve for steam-engines



(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1. P. M. GROSS; I

VALVE FOR STEAM ENGINES.

No. 363,317. Patented May 17, 1887.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

P. M. GROSS. I VALVE FOR STEAM ENGINES.

Patented May 17, 1887. (7 0?.

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PETER M. CROSS, OF PHILLIPS, ASSIGNOR OF ON E-HALF TO SPANOGLE & 00., OF AURORA, NEBRASKA.

VALVE FOR STEAM-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 363,317, dated May 17, 1887.

Application filed May 252, 1886.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, PETER M. Cnoss, a resident of Phillips, in the county of Hamilton and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valves for Steam-Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in steam-engines, and more specifically to means for admitting steam to the cylinder of an engine and for'allowing its escape therefrom at proper intervals. Its object is to simplify the mechanism concerned in this office and to provide means whereby an engine may be reversed without link-motion attachments by simply reversing the motion of the steamvalve.

The invention is fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings, to which this specification refers by numerals.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of a portion of an engine provided with my devices; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same. Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are detailviews, hereinafter fully described.

In Figs. 1 and 2,1 is an engine-bed, and 2 a steam-cylinder mounted thereon; 3, a piston with mountings and attachments of any suitable form. 4 is a slide-valve seat, through which steam-passages lead to the interior of the cylinder 2. 5 is a slide-valve chest chambered, as shown in Fig. 3, for live and exhaust steam;'and6 is a face-plate closing this valvechest in front. Steam enters the four-way valve 7 through the pipe 8, and by the proper placing of the valve is thrown through either pipe 9 9 into the valve-chest 5,'fron1 whence it passes to the cylinder 2, while the exhaust- -steam at the same time passes through the other pipe, 9 or 9, and escapes through the pipe 10. The construction of this valve is shown in Figs. 1,2, 5, 6, and 7. Fig. 5. is a vertical section through the valve on the axial line'of the pipes 9 9 10. Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged views of the valve-plug 11, showing, respectively, a side elevation and a central 5o longitudinal section of the same. The plug 11 is slightly conical in form, and is provided Serial No. 202,939. (No model.)

with a central longitudinal aperture, 12, extending from its smaller end, where it communicates with the steam-pipe S, to the plane of the pipes 9 9 10, where it meets an opening, 13, leading to the surface of the plug. Upon the side of the plug opposite this opening, and in the same plane therewith, is apartial annular depression, 14, in the surface of the plug. The body 7 of the valve is bored to form a smooth 6o conical seat for the plug 11, and from this conical aperture three radial passages lead toand communicate with the three pipes 9 9'10, which are firmly inserted in the valve-body 7. Fig.

5 shows the relation of these passages and the 6 5 valve-plug 11. WVhen the plug is turned to the position illustrated, steam enters through the passage 12 and passes through the opening 13 into the pipe 9, and at the same time what is now the exhaust-pipe 9 communicates with the pipe 10 through the passage or annular depression 14 in the plug. If, now, the plug be rotated to the left until the steam-aperture 13 coincides with the opening in the pipe 9 instead of 9, 9 becomes the conduit for live steam and the exhauststeam passes through the pipes 9 10,which now both communicate with the annular passage 14 in theplug. These motions of the plug are caused by moving a lever, 16, attached to the plugstem 15, which passes through a closely-fitting plate, 17, securely fastened upon the body 7 and holding the valve-plug 11 in position. A guard, 18, supports the outer end of the stem 15 and limits the motion of the lever, so that the plug 8 5 can occupy only the two positions described and such as are intermediate.

Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged views, respectively, of the valve-chest 5, Fig. 2, with the faceplate 6 removed, and of the valve-seat 4, 0 V Fig. 1, without other parts. In Fig. 4, 19 19 are the ports leading, respectively, to the right and left of the piston in the cylinder 2, and 20 are'lrecesses in the valve-seat leading to the ports. Both are indicated in position by the dotted lines in Fig. 3. In Fig. 8, 2122 are chambers communicating, respectively,

with the pipes 9 9, but not communicating directly with each other when the slide-valve 23 is in place filling a recess in the rear face of the valve-chest. The slide-valve is provided with three open ings, of which the right and left communicate, respectively, at intervals with the right and left sides of the piston, while the central communicates alternately with both. For if by carrying the lever 16 from the position shown in Fig. 2 to its opposite limit steam is ad mitted to the chamber 22 through the pipe 9, it passes at once through the opening 26 in the slide-valve, if in the position shown, to the admitting steam upon its left by means of an or dinary engine-shaft and eccentric (not shown) connected with the slide-valve stem 27 throws,

the slide-valve to the right in the usual 1nanner, opening the left chamber in the cylinder for the exhaust-steam toescape into the chamber 21, and at the same time admitting steam through the central opening in the slide-valve to the right port-that is, the chambers 21 and 22 communicate in succession alternately with the right and the left ends or compartments of the cylinder.

.If while the action of the engine is such as has been described, with live steam entering through the pipe 9 and passing to the cylinder by the left port, and with the piston moving to the right, the lever 16 be carried to its opposite limit, steam at once enters the chamber 21 by the pipe 9 and aperture 25 to the right end of the cylinder, while the pipe 9 becomes the exhaust and permits the escape of the steam on the left of the piston; hence the steam on the right of the piston acts as a cushion until the advance of the piston ceases, when it at once forces it in the contrary direction, and the engine is reversed.

I have set forth a form of my invention with simultaneous connection of steam and exhaust passages both in the valve 7 and in the slide-valve chest; but, obviously, this is not in either case a condition indispensable to its operation, but by varying the relative position of portsand apertures both parts of the appa ratus may be made to connect steam and exhaust passages at different instants, and the admission of steam to the cylinder maybe cut off at any desired point of the stroke.

I am aware that it has been proposed to provide an ordinary slide-valve chest with two openings, either of which may, by means of a i'ourway valve, be made to communicate either with an inlet-pipe for the admission of live steam, or with an escape-pipe for the discharge of exhaust-steam. I do not, therefore, claim, broadly, such a combination-as I have indicated; but the slide-valve and valve-chamber illustrated and described herein are wholly different from any prior structure for the same purpose, and the four-way valve forming an element of my device also exhibits novel and improved features of construction.

.Having now fully described my invention,

what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a steam-engine, the combination of a cylinder having two ports and a slide-valve having three openings, the first opening communicating successively with each of said ports during each complete oscillation of the valve, and the second and third openings each communicating once with one of said ports during such oscillation. 7

2. ln a steam-engine, a slide-valve chest permanently separated into two chambers,each of which by the movement of a suitable slidevalve is made to communicate in succession with each of the compartments into which the piston divides the cylinder of the engine.

3. Ina steam-engine, the combination of a cylinder, a slide-valve chest permanently separated into two compartments, a slide-valve separating each of said compartments from all ports leading-to the cylinder, and adapted to open communication between each of said compartments and each division of the cylinder made by the piston during each oscillation of the slide-valve.

4. In asteam-engine, the combination ofthe cylinder, a slide-valve chest having two compartments without communication, a slidevalve adapted to open and close'permanentlyseparated communication between each of said compartments and said cylinder, and two pipes leading, respectively, from each of said compartments to a steam-valve having an entrance and an exit for steam, said valve being adapted to connect either of said pipes with said entrance and the other with said exit, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PETER M. CROSS.

Witnesses:

JOHN C. BRANNOOK, CHARLES L. CRANE. 

